Kishan slams Cong, BRS For Backing AIMIM in MLC poll

Hyderabad: Alleging that the Congress and BRS are helping AIMIM win the MLC poll in Hyderabad by staying away from the contest, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday questioned how the two parties can claim to be secular while supporting the "rank communal" AIMIM.

He said the Congress and BRS field candidates in AIMIM strongholds during Assembly, Lok Sabha, and municipal corporation elections to split the anti-AIMIM vote, but have now chosen not to contest the MLC election on April 23 to help the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party. In a sharp attack on the ruling Congress and the main opposition BRS, Reddy, who is also the BJP president in Telangana, said both parties must explain how they are secular when they join hands with AIMIM.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who often speaks of secularism, should clarify how the Congress can be considered secular when it maintains friendly ties with AIMIM, a "rank communal" outfit, he told reporters here. Referring to AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi's controversial 2013 speech, where he allegedly said it would take "15 minutes" to balance the Hindu-Muslim ratio in the country if the police were removed, Reddy asked why the Congress and BRS are helping AIMIM win.

He also demanded that BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao explain the rationale behind his party's decision to stay away from the election despite having the highest number of votes. Reddy alleged that Congress, BRS, and AIMIM are "cut from the same cloth" and said people should understand the "true colours" of the three parties. The election to the Legislative Council from the Hyderabad Local Authorities' constituency is scheduled for April 23.

The contest is between BJP's N Goutham Rao and AIMIM nominee Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan Effendi. Congress and BRS have not fielded candidates. BRS Working President K T Rama Rao had earlier said that his party decided to abstain from the election as it does not have the strength to win, and also cannot vote for either the BJP or AIMIM.